Viva Pinata Shorts
by Epic Laughter
Summary: Oneshots about the Villagers that will be occasionally updated between my bigger fics.  I'll try to keep a nice variety of characters and stories.  Please enjoy, and I'm always open to story suggestions!
1. November Thirteenth

_**A.N.: These are a series of short stories based on my own personal Viva Piñata fanon. There are some references to my other stories, but they shouldn't detract from the shorts, I hope. Please enjoy and let me know what you think if you can! :)**_

The night was freezing cold for autumn. The changing leaves shuddered in the bitter breeze and even the nocturnal piñatas were quiet, choosing to huddle together in warrens and dens rather than brave this cold night.

It was three in the morning, so nearly no one in the village was awake. The chilly weather had made most people eager to crawl into their warm beds; even Costolot had closed her shop early to get some rest.

The only one awake was Seedos, who was sitting on a bench in the village square, his arms wrapped around himself. His oversized backpack sat beside him and a small, cobalt blue pouch tied with a bow rested on his lap. He was lucky enough to find a coat and boots in the far reaches of his closet. Sure, the coat was several sizes too big and the boots were a size too small, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Seedos wasn't going to let a little chill keep him from what he had to do tonight.

Seedos took a deep breath and let it out slowly, rising to his feet.

"Okay," he mumbled to himself as he hitched up his backpack. "Don't be scared. This is no big deal, Seedos." He leaned over and picked up the small pouch. "You're doing something nice…" He hugged it to his chest protectively as he headed down the village road.

After narrowly avoiding tripping over a pothole, Seedos arrived at Leena's garden. She had overworked herself once again and had fallen asleep under a hazelnut tree, about six brown and purple patterned blankets piled on top of her.

_Those are some drab colors…Avalon must have given those to her,_ Seedos observed as he tiptoed through Leena's garden, taking care not to wake her. _I hope she's warm enough._

Seedos hit himself on the forehead of his mask. _Now is not the time to be worrying about Leena! There's a more important task at hand, and I'll __never__ forgive myself if I don't do it!_

Seedos slipped into the jungle on the outskirts of Leena's garden. _I guess if I wander around enough I'll find him…_

Seedos spent a good twenty minutes wandering around the dark jungle, extremely disappointed that it was too dark to look for seeds. Another twenty minutes passed and he still had no luck. The most eventful thing that happened during his trek was when he tripped over what may have been a Fudgehog.

As he staggered to his feet and checked that the precious pouch he was carrying was all right, a sound finally pierced the silent night.

Someone far away was singing a haunting melody, and Seedos knew exactly who it was. Normally, that song would have made anyone who recognized it wet themselves and run for the hills, but Seedos did neither of these things. Instead, he began rushing through the jungle towards the source of the voice.

When Seedos was finally close enough to make out the words to the song, he tripped over a tree branch and fell flat on his face. The singing stopped short.

Seedos hoisted himself up to a sitting position and found himself in a clearing with a dead tree stump and an even deader Profitamole.

The Profitamole's assailant was still standing-er, floating-over the body, but he had turned to face Seedos, an annoyed look on his mask.

"What are you doing here, _kiddo?"_ he hissed, hitting his palm with a large papery stick threateningly. "Don't you know it's dangerous to be out so late? You could run into some shady characters…" His tone was menacing, but Seedos smiled at him in spite of it.

"Dastardos…hi!" Seedos was out of breath from running, sweat trickling down his face behind his mask. "I've been…looking everywhere for you…" he wheezed.

Dastardos narrowed his eyes at Seedos. "Why the hell would you want to look for _me?"_ Dastardos placed a bony hand on his chest. "Do you finally want someone to end your pathetic little life? I'd_ love_ to help you out, but I only kill piñatas…" Dastardos shrugged with a chuckle.

"November thirteenth," Seedos said.

"…what?" Dastardos gave Seedos a flat look.

"It's after midnight, so it's November thirteenth right now," Seedos explained, fiddling with the blue pouch that was resting on his knee.

"Stop spouting nonsense and get to the point!" Dastardos glared at Seedos, both ends of his scarf rearing up threateningly, like Syrupents ready to strike.

"November thirteenth is your _birthday!"_ Seedos finally stood up, holding the pouch in his hands. "…did you forget?" Seedos asked quietly.

Dastardos' expression fell and he gave Seedos a silent look of disbelief.

"I'll take that as a 'yes…'" Seedos sighed. "Pester doesn't seem like the kind of guy who wishes people 'happy birthday.'"

"…Seedos, I'm not even _alive,"_ Dastardos finally spoke. "Birthdays don't matter to me anymore."

"Are you trying to trick me?" Seedos sounded offended. "You're right in front of me, you're speaking to me, you're moving, _you're alive."_

Dastardos groaned. "…okay, maybe I'm _slightly_ alive, but I don't give a Mousemallow's ass about my birthday."

"_I_ give a Mousemallow's ass!" Seedos thrust the blue pouch towards Dastardos. "I spent _all day_ yesterday gathering these for you!"

Dastardos eyed Seedos' offering with disdain. "What's in there? Seeds? I hate to break it to you, Seedos, but I have no use for those."

"Just _open_ it," Seedos pleaded. Dastardos huffed and snatched the bundle from him.

"A ribbon, _really?"_ Dastardos grumbled as he untied it. "You even _tie_ like a sissy…"

"I've told you before, insulting me will not make me go away," Seedos crossed his arms, a confident smirk crossing his mask's oversized mouth. "Besides, I think you'll like it."

"Well, _I_ think-" Dastardos stopped mid-sentence when he saw what was inside the bag. A bunch of brightly colored sweets filled the bag, each one mimicking the pattern of a piñata species. "Th-these are…"

"Life sweets," Seedos was pleased to hear that the malice had dropped from Dastardos' voice as soon as he saw exactly what his gift was. "I know you still keep Magnar around."

"But…why? How?" Dastardos wasn't used to kind gestures. His heart was twisting and everything he said kept coming out monosyllabic.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you're my _brother,"_ Seedos' tone was gentle. "I might not have seen you much over the past years, but I _know_ that you would never let Magnar die." Seedos sighed. "I remember when we were kids; you and that Macaraccoon were inseparable. You risked getting in _serious_ trouble to keep him alive. Always killing the weaker piñatas that wandered in for their life sweets…"

"…and the day you caught me killing a Shellybean for Magnar, I had to punch you in the face to make sure you stayed quiet about my secret…" Dastardos joined Seedos in reminiscing and Seedos cocked a brow at him.

"Why do you only seem to remember the more violent times in our childhood?"

"Eh," Dastardos shrugged. "That's not important right now. What I want to know is how the hell you even got all of these! There must be at least _fifty_ in here!" Dastardos rooted through the pouch, a small smile on his mask's twisted mouth.

_He's actually __smiling!_Seedos resisted the urge to jump for joy. Things were going _much_ better than expected!

"There are sixty-four, I counted," Seedos nodded. "I got them in a lot of different ways. I begged Leena to kill a Syrupent or five for me, I convinced Yoto to sneak into Gretchen's storage room and smash every Crowla in sight, and I got the rest from bribing gardeners."

"Bribing them with what?" Dastardos re-tied the pouch ungracefully and tucked it under an arm. "You run around giving out seeds for _free._ You must have barely a chocolate coin to your name."

"Well…" Seedos suddenly looked immensely saddened as he shrugged his pack off, unzipping the main pocket. He turned his backpack so Dastardos could see the inside of it.

Seedos' bag was usually practically overflowing with seeds, but today there was barely a small layer of them lining the bottom.

Dastardos floated backwards, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You _didn't."_

"I did…" Seedos let out a mournful sigh and zipped his backpack shut, a pained look on his mask. "This is the biggest sacrifice I've ever had to make, Dastardos…"

"That's kind of pathetic…" Dastardos snickered and Seedos scowled at him, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. "…did those stupid things really mean that much to you? Why would you give them up for _me?"_

"I was _really_ getting sick of you dismissing me every time I tried to talk to you," Seedos confessed.

Dastardos gave Seedos a flat look. "Seedos…you only tried to talk to me _twice._ On the same night. At a party where there were lots of people who could overhear. Not to mention I was completely and utterly miserable and I wanted to kill _everyone_, you included."

"I-it still bugged me that you could brush off _your own brother_ that easily!" Seedos clenched his hands into fists. "Jardiniero disowned me, Leafos despises me, and Storkos is too busy to see me! I'm the only one out of _all_ of them who knows who you are, who cares enough to worry about you, and you won't even give me the time of day!" Seedos swallowed a lump in his throat. "Obviously _telling_ you that I want to be on good terms with you didn't work, so I figured I'd have to _show_ you." Seedos gestured to Dastardos' gift. "Even if it meant giving up almost all of my seeds…" he sobbed.

"Oh, God…" Dastardos let out a sharp sigh. "Don't _cry._ Look, fine, if it'll make you happy, I'll admit it. I_ really_ appreciate what you did for me. Magnar won't be feeling under the weather for a very long time, and I have _you _to thank for it! Can you stop crying now?"

Seedos sniffled and reached under his mask to wipe his eyes. "D-do you really mean it?"

"Of _course_ I do," Dastardos sounded a bit annoyed. "You should know that I'd never lie about something Magnar related…" Dastardos scratched his head. "Er, apart from the whole 'killing piñatas behind Jardiniero's back' thing."

"That's good enough for me, then!" Seedos sniffled one last time and gave his brother a pale smile. "I'll leave you alone; I know how you feel about human contact. Make good use of my gift, okay?" He turned to leave.

"Hold on a second!" Dastardos shouted. Seedos stopped in his tracks when he felt something cinch around his chest. He looked down to see that it was Dastardos' scarf just as it whirled him around to face his brother.

"D-don't do that, that's creepy!" Seedos shuddered as the scarf released him and slithered back to its place on the ground below Dastardos' feet.

"I can't control this thing half the time," Dastardos tossed one end of his scarf over his shoulder. "That's not important now, though. I just wanted to say…I can't believe you spent an entire day gathering life sweets for a piñatacidal maniac." Dastardos gestured to himself.

"Got a few head wounds for my trouble, too…" Seedos smiled sheepishly as he slid his mask down a bit, pointing to a few scattered Band-Aids on his forehead. "Plus now more than half the gardeners are probably thinking I switched my obsession to life candy instead of seeds…" Seedos shook his head. "If you ask me, Life Candyos doesn't have a very good ring to it."

"They must all think you're insane…" Dastardos thought aloud.

"They already did, and I kind of am," Seedos shrugged, he never really cared much for his reputation.

"You'd never do something like that back before the incident…" Dastardos mused. "You were a little coward; always worried about making sure you stayed the favorite and never wanting to get on anyone's bad side…"

"I was barely _six years old_ when the incident occurred," Seedos crossed his arms. "I don't know if you noticed, but I'm almost an adult now. I've changed almost as much as you have!"

Dastardos' brow furrowed and he squinted at Seedos. "…well, you aren't corrupted like me, but you certainly grew…" Dastardos floated slightly closer to his brother. "This might sound weird, but can I see your face?"

_"What?_" Seedos squeaked, putting his hands on the sides of his mask protectively, his eyes bugging out.

"The last time I saw your face was nearly _ten years ago,"_ Dastardos had annoyance in his voice. "Besides, you saw _my _face back at the party, it's only fair." Dastardos let a smirky grin cross his mask. "Not to mention it's hard to take you seriously with that ugly thing on."

"Fine, if you're _that _curious…" Seedos ignored Dastardos' insult and slid his mask upwards until it was resting on the top of his head.

Dastardos started and flew backwards a few feet.

"Am I _that_ ugly?" Seedos feigned offense, frowning.

"No, you just…" Dastardos had surprise in his voice. "…you almost look older than _me."_

"You're_ much _older than me, though," Seedos' eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Dastardos chuckled darkly. "Seedos, I stopped growing when Pester gave me that candy. I'm pretty much eternally fifteen. Sure, I lost a ton of weight and the fact that I almost never sleep took its toll on me, but I never grew a single inch. I didn't change much." Dastardos pointed a bony finger at Seedos. "You said it yourself, remember?"

"Eternally-?" Seedos looked even more shocked than Dastardos did when he revealed his face. "You mean-"

"Yup, I'm pretty sure I'll never die," Dastardos heaved a heavy, morose sigh. "I have no clue why I'm telling _you_ about my problems, but that's the truth. I can't be hurt, I can't fall ill, and I can't age. I get to watch every last person in this village shrivel and die, isn't that _great?"_ Dastardos feigned a grin, fierce sarcasm tainting his tone.

"Dastardos…that's…" Seedos moved to put a hand on his brother's shoulder but Dastardos moved away quickly.

"I don't need any pity from you, Seedos," In response to the sadness in Seedos' eyes, Dastardos huffed and added: "I don't want you to worry. You _shouldn't_ worry about someone like me. I'll be fine. I won't be happy, but I'll be fine."

"No wonder your birthday doesn't mean much to you…" Seedos looked down at the ground, folding his arms.

Dastardos shook his head. "It doesn't…but I'd be lying if I said I didn't appreciate your gift," Dastardos pulled the pouch of life sweets out of his pocket. "This made me happier than I've been in a very long time. Does _that_ make you feel any better?"

"Just a bit," Seedos finally raised his eyes. "…would you get cross with me if I did this every year?"

"…No," Dastardos said after thinking for a few moments. "What about those dumb seeds of yours?"

"This was…kind of a last minute idea…" Seedos chuckled nervously. "I'll try to come up with a better method by next year."

"Atta boy," Dastardos grinned his twisted grin. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm behind schedule…" Dastardos pocketed the life sweets again and pulled out his Alert System, his eyes widening a bit when he looked at the screen. "Ah, this next one's in Leena's garden…"

_"What?"_ Seedos exclaimed, his voice rising up an octave or two.

"Mmm, yup, one of her recently resided Pretztails. How irresponsible," Dastardos turned towards Seedos. "Warn her if you wish. I like you, so I'll give you a head start."

Seedos shouted in panic yet again as he pulled his mask back into place, not even bothering to straighten it out. "SEE YOU LATER, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" he yelled quickly before rushing off into the darkness.

Dastardos shook his head and counted to sixty under his breath before gliding off into the night himself, a bit slower than his usual pace.


	2. Leafos and the Lickatoad

_**AN: I implore you to not take this seriously. I started writing when I was half-asleep and the next thing I knew THIS was in front of me. I hope it amuses you nevertheless!**_

It had been a long, long day.

Leafos stretched, extending her arms far over her head and yawning enormously. She felt really accomplished that evening; she had spent a lot of time chatting with and helping a couple new gardeners. They were really grateful for her aid and lit up at her compliments. That was just fantastic! Leafos honestly was a bit lonely; it wasn't often that she got to see people light up because of something she said.

She had a wonderful gossip session over hot tea at Arfur's Inn as well. She, Fannie, Gretchen, and even Petula had sat at a round table in the corner and swapped stories. Petula was slightly more tolerable than usual; Leafos and she only got along when they could talk about others!

One thing Leafos didn't like was how mean-spirited Petula's gossip was. Leafos preferred to hear about the love lives of others, funny things people said, or cute things that piñatas did. Petula, on the other hand, loved to tell dirty secrets and share stories of humiliation. Leafos admittedly found the stories shockingly interesting, but she would _never_ tell such things herself! She could keep serious secrets!

Despite her criticisms, Leafos couldn't help smirking at the memories of what she had learned today as she pulled her mask and gloves off. Fannie had told them through a frenzy of giggles that Yoto had actually come to her for advice on writing love letters. None of them had any clue which unfortunate person Yoto could be in love with, but Leafos was pretty sure it was Eddie Lizard. Yoto always made sure to tease him extra hard…he must not be comfortable with his feelings. Aw, he would be upset if he heard the rumor that Eddie and Maxime had slept together. Poor Yoto…oh well, Leafos couldn't feel _too_ bad for him. He was a bully; he'd actually scared a few promising new gardeners from continuing with their profession by making fun of their barren land! What he thought was fun teasing actually sabotaged the Island's main industry! Hmph.

Leafos had just finished pulling her hair out of her pigtails when she heard a light rapping on her window. She figured it was just the wind and ignored it until the rapping became loud and incessant. She approached her window and parted the curtains. Her mouth dropped open in surprise when she was greeted by a grinning Lickatoad on her windowsill holding a big box of…something.

"Langston!" Leafos took a step back and planted her hands on her hips. "What on Earth are _you_ doing here?"

"H-hi, Leafos!" The paper on Langston's cheeks had turned rosy-colored as he waved his free arm at her. He had never seen Leafos' face before! He may have loved the green shades on her mask, but he couldn't help feeling closer to the human girl now that he saw her true face. He momentarily wondered why she wasn't flipping out with embarrassment…and then he remembered he was a piñata with a bit of sorrow in his candy heart.

_"Please_ answer my question…" Leafos rubbed her temples. She had adored all types of piñatas ever since she was a little girl. She always worked very well with them, so most piñata had a natural attraction to her. Langston had been a bit _too_ interested in her lately, though…

"I-I brought you this!" Langston held out the box he had brought with him, looking away and shutting his eyes, an embarrassed smile across his papery face. The box was bright pink and tied with a patterned green ribbon. Leafos plucked it from him, untied the ribbon, and removed the lid. Inside were several shining sweets and chocolates. They looked too expensive for Leafos' simple tastes, but she'd feel bad if she rejected the gift…

"Thank you, Langston! This is…very sweet!" Leafos looked at the Lickatoad with a thin smile.

"It's some of the finest candy samples from Piñata Central's best talent!" Langston puffed up with pride. "I've left you some candy before, but I always find it crushed in your driveway later on in the day…I'm sure you wouldn't do something so cruel, so I have no clue why that happens…" He frowned and crossed his arms ponderously.

_Oh,_ Leafos almost laughed. _Dad must run it over by accident…_

"I haven't a clue, Langston…" Leafos lied as she placed the box of candy onto her dresser. "Is this all you wanted to do, or is there something else?"

"Actually…" Langston rocked back and forth. "I want to tell you a story. May I come in?"

"A…story?" Leafos mulled for a moment. She _did_ love a good story…what was the harm? "Okay, Langston, you may-"

"GREAT!" Langston exclaimed, leaping into Leafos' arms. She let out a small shriek of shock and fumbled with Langston for a moment before getting a proper hold of him. "Let's sit down!" Langston bounced merrily.

Leafos sighed and sat down at the foot of her bed. Langston hopped off of her and smiled eagerly. "Okay, Leafos, the story I actually want to tell you is a legend. A legend about my kind." He took a deep breath. "It's…kind of a short legend, but still a legend all the same!"

Leafos raised a brow. He seemed oddly nervous for just repeating a legend…

"They say that…if a Lickatoad gets a kiss from a beautiful human girl, he'll turn into a handsome prince!" Langston looked at Leafos sheepishly. "You're the most beautiful human girl I know…so I wanted to ask you for help?"

Leafos leapt off her bed, covering her mouth in shock. "Is _this_ what all this lark is about? You come here and bribe me with candy and repeat that legend in hopes of getting a _kiss?"_ Leafos folded her arms. "Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Lickatoad…but you're…a _Lickatoad!"_ Leafos shook her head vigorously, her loose hair flying every which way with her movements. "I don't want to kiss a _piñata!_ That's just…ridiculous!" Leafos knew how Langston was. He was a braggart, and if she _did_ kiss him, he'd run about telling _everyone_ about it! What if Petula found out, or even worse, what if any of the _boys_ in town found out? They'd _never_ take her seriously again!

"That's exactly _it,_ Leafos…" Langston's eyes became misty. "I'm a Lickatoad! Do you know how hard it is to be taken seriously when you're a Lickatoad? I might have a very respectable position with Piñata Central, but every time I try to fit in with society, try to do the things that you humans do, I just get laughed at!" A tear rolled out of one of Langston's eyes and he gave Leafos a pathetically pleading look. "If you turned me into a human…then I could be normal! I could get the respect I deserve! Could you please at least _try?"_ Langston pouted, his eyes huge and glimmering with sorrow.

Leafos bit her lip as she looked at Langston's begging face. No one in their right mind could say no to _that!_ Except maybe Jeffe, but he was the last thing Leafos needed to worry about right now. Ugh, why was she so easily swayed by the cuteness of papery piñatas?

"…fine, Langston," she held out her hands, her palms flat. "Come here."

Langston hopped into her hands, giggling giddily. Leafos lifted him up to her face, closed her eyes, leaned forward, and gave him a brief kiss on the mouth.

Much to both of their shock, a bright blue and yellow swirling light swallowed Langston and he floated right out of Leafos' hands. She staggered back, her eyes wide, and Langston let out a dramatic gasp from within the light.

"I-it's working! IT'S REALLY WORKING! Oh, this is so _great!"_ Langston's joyous voice rang from within the light.

Leafos felt her heart begin to thump. She wondered what Langston would look like…oh, she hoped he wouldn't keep his froggy features! Then people would have even more reason to laugh at the poor thing…

The light suddenly ceased and Langston dropped to the ground. He looked exactly the same as before, but a large, golden crown had replaced his signature hard hat.

"…oh," Langston touched the crown curiously. "…I guess it…_kind of _worked…"

Leafos picked her jaw up off the floor and stomped over to her window, gesturing to it like a game show host. "Please _leave,_ Langston! And tell _no one _about what happened here tonight!"

Langston slouched as he hopped his way over to the window. Leafos grudgingly lifted him onto the sill. "And _please_ don't smirk at me in public or anything! I don't want any rumors to start!" She waved him off and he sniffled. "Don't give me that, Langston; I don't want to hear it!" Leafos shut the curtains as angrily as she could, nearly tearing them in the process. She slammed her palm into her forehead as she headed downstairs. She needed to get a drink to rid her mouth of the taste of paper…

As soon as she descended the stairs, she saw her father giving her an accusing look. Oh no, did he hear…?

"What was all that about things happening in your bedroom with Langston?" There was a hint of horror in Jardiniero's voice.

Leafos buried her face in her hands. How was she going to explain _this_ one?


	3. Stardos and Magnar

It was early in the morning, and Jardiniero's legendary garden was already abuzz with activity.

The entire family was gathered around a Macaraccoon house off in a corner of the garden, under the shade of several oak trees. Jardiniero was just about to become a Master Romancer for them, and he wanted his family to be there to see the final egg hatch.

Storkos stood proudly, her pudgy little hands on her hips and her chest puffed out. She had just recently starting delivering eggs, and she felt honored and helpful whenever she could help her father out! Jardiniero wasn't one who gave praise often, but whenever Storkos delivered an egg to his piñatas, he would thank her and kiss her on the forehead. Storkos couldn't help feeling like a hero!

Next to Storkos was her mother, who was smiling proudly and holding her youngest son, Sidos, in her arms. Sidos was only four, but he was very intelligent for his age. Despite his surprising IQ, he still had a tendency to cling to his beloved mommy.

Leafos was sitting pretzel-legged right next to the egg, sketching vigorously into her Journal. She had to make sure she got the patterns on the egg _just right!_ The Journal was used as a reference guide for her father, after all!

The Great Jardiniero himself stood with his arms folded, looking at the wiggling egg intently. He was more than eager for it to hatch; he heard many a legend about special piñatas being born once their parents have had many offspring already! He _knew_ there would be something unusual about the unborn Macaraccoon; he could feel it in his heart!

Finally, Jardiniero's oldest son was a small ways away from the rest of his family. He was leaning against a monkeynut tree. The expression on his dark blue mask was mostly blank, but he had a brow cocked with interest.

This was Stardos, who was thirteen years old at the time. He really didn't see what the big deal was. They had hatched six Macaraccoons in the last week and he thought that his father was getting his hopes up too high about this one being "special." The most "special" piñata that was ever born in their garden was a Buzzlegum with ears, which Jardiniero had promptly sold to the highest bidder.

_Dad's probably hoping for a quick cash-in again…I already heard him talking about selling the other baby Macaraccoons…_ Stardos sighed and pushed a lock of his dark hair behind one ear. _He never gets attached to his piñatas…he treats them like they're expendable!_

Stardos had never gotten too attached to a piñata himself, though. Sure, Stardos enjoyed spending time with the piñatas in the garden, but he never found one in particular that he had gotten _really_ attached to. That was probably because Jardiniero took most of the piñata care into his own hands, only taking his youngest son along for help.

Sidos had become a big deal when he managed to raise and romance two Shellybeans despite the fact that he was barely old enough to speak. Jardiniero figured he had another legend in the making on his hands, so he suddenly stopped training Stardos and took Sidos under his wing.

Needless to say, this made Stardos more than a little bitter, especially since Jardiniero had reduced him from being his protégé to mere grunt work. It seemed that all he heard his father say nowadays were things like:

_"Stardos! Take these gooseberries to town and sell them!"_

_ "Stardos! Chase off that Pretztail!"_

_ "Stardos! Help Sidos pack up his Shellybeans!"_

_ "Stardos, do this!"_

_ "Stardos, do that!"_

Stardos was pulled from his thoughts when Leafos gasped: "Oh my God, the egg is hatching!"

Everyone in the family moved closer to the egg, their eyes wide with interest. Stardos sighed and ambled over; he figured he might as well be there for the "big moment."

When the eggshell finally burst open, Jardiniero laughed triumphantly. There were _two_ Macaraccoons in the egg! Twins were a rare occurrence no matter the species!

Mother bit her lip. "Honey…" She furrowed her brow and looked at her husband. "They look a little pale…"

"Nonsense, they…" Jardiniero halted mid-sentence. Both of the baby Macaraccoons _were_ incredibly pale, and they were barely moving. One was on his back, flicking his tiny legs pathetically. The other was lying on his stomach, his eyes slowly closing. Both of them were making the most pathetic little squeaks that Jardiniero had ever heard in his life.

Storkos' proud demeanor completely crumbled away and tears pooled in her eyes. "Was…was it a bad egg?" she squeaked. "I'm _so_ sorry, Dad! I-"

Jardiniero let out a mournful sigh. "It's not your fault, Storkos…" He crouched down next to the Macaraccoons; one had completely ceased moving already. The mother let out a cry and began frantically nudging and licking the baby in a vain attempt to revive it. "One's already gone. I'm sure the other one will soon follow…" He stood back up. "No use dwelling on this depressing scene. I'll take care of this."

Sidos buried his face into his mother's shoulder as she walked back towards the house. Leafos and Storkos looked at each other mournfully and walked off together to a corner of the garden. Stardos was the only one who remained behind with Jardiniero, his expression a mixture of shock and anger. He clenched his fists and walked toward his father.

"You're just going to let it _die?"_ Stardos spat. "I can't believe you! One's still alive; we can still save it!" He reached for the baby piñata, but Jardiniero slapped his hands away. Hard. Stardos pulled his hands away, a look of annoyance on his mask. He was used to lashings from his father, both verbal and physical. Jardiniero was never too happy whenever someone wanted to go against his wishes.

"Don't be ridiculous, Stardos!" Jardiniero gave his son a firm glare. "It would be a waste of time! I barely have time to juggle all of my duties in this garden with all of my interviews, I don't have time to dote on an infirm Macaraccoon!"

"_You_ don't," Stardos lunged forward and swept the Macaraccoon into his arms before his father could intervene. "But _I_ do."

"Pfft!" Jardiniero snickered. "It would take a miracle to save that piñata. Last time I checked, you were certainly no miracle worker!"

Stardos ignored his father's comment and looked down at the tiny piñata in his arms. The Macaraccoon slowly blinked its big green eyes. Stardos felt a pang in his heart; the poor thing was much tinier than any other Macaraccoon he had seen, even for a baby! This was the most vulnerable, sick piñata he had ever set eyes on…he couldn't help feeling sorry for it.

"I might surprise you…" Stardos said, speaking to the Macaraccoon as much as he was speaking to his father.

"Well then…" Jardiniero gave his son a firm pat on the shoulder. "I have my doubts, but good luck."

Stardos gave his father a thin smile. It was no surprise that Jardiniero had little faith in him, but at least he wasn't trying to stop him from trying. "Thank you."

_VPVPVPVPVPVPVPVP_

"Come on, Magnar! Eat this! _Please!"_

Stardos was holding a blackberry up to the tiny piñata's mouth, but it turned its face away from it. Stardos let out a huge sigh. He had tried feeding Magnar every last kind of produce they grew in the garden! Vegetables, berries, fruits, even a small bottle of milk, but Magnar wouldn't so much as lick a single thing! Stardos was worried about him, but he was more than relieved that the little guy hadn't passed on yet…

In the past two and a half hours, Stardos had grown quite attached to the little guy. He was stubborn, despite his condition, and he would constantly give Stardos a look of irritated disbelief whenever he offered him yet another piece of food.

_Heh,_ Stardos had smirked. _We have the exact same demeanor…_

He had named the Macaraccoon Magnar because it meant 'mighty.' He hoped in vain that having a name like that would influence the Macaraccooon's fate in some way, even if it was just wishful thinking at this point.

"What am I going to do with you?" Stardos lifted Magnar up to his face. "You better not die on me…I _know_ I can help you!"

Magnar gave the nose of Stardos' mask a little lick.

"Oh dear God, you're the cutest thing I ever set eyes on…" Stardos couldn't help saying. He reddened under his mask and held Magnar close to his chest. Magnar started purring weakly and Stardos felt another twinge in his heart.

A loud yowl and a screechy squeak suddenly rang through the formerly peaceful garden air, yanking Stardos out of his Macaraccoon-induced bliss.

A wild Pretztail tackled a Bunnycomb, tearing the paper clean off its back and sending an explosion of candy flying in every direction.

"HEY!" Stardos jumped to his feet and tucked Magnar under one arm. "Get out of here!" He ran up to the Pretztail and kicked it hard. It ran off whimpering before it could so much as grab a single piece of Bunnycomb candy in its teeth.

"Damn it…" Stardos hissed. "I'm sorry, Magnar, did that scare you?" Stardos looked down at him in concern. The poor thing was shaking…

"Ugh, that was dumb of me…" Stardos shook his head. "This Bunnycomb's done for, too, I couldn't have saved it." He bent and picked up the Bunnycomb's life sweet, which was lying a small distance away from the piñata's remains. "The life candy came out and everything…"

Magnar suddenly made a squeaking sound and began bouncing under Stardos' arm.

"What is it?" Stardos knelt down and placed Magnar on top of his knees. "Are you all right?"

Magnar scampered over to the hand that Stardos was clenching the sweet in and began sniffing it. Much to Stardos' surprise, Magnar stuck out his little pink tongue and licked his hand.

"Do you…want the Bunnycomb candy?" Stardos opened his hand and Magnar immediately tore into the sweet. Stardos' mouth opened in shock. Magnar was actually _eating!_

Magnar leapt in the air when he was done eating and ran around in a circle, filled with the amount of energy that a young Macaraccoon should have. His color was even starting to look normal!

"You need…life sweets?" Stardos sounded absolutely delighted. "I can't believe it; I finally figured out what you need!" Stardos opened his arms. Magnar leapt right into them and nuzzled Stardos' chest.

"Getting them will be no easy task…" Stardos pondered as Magnar purred like a motor in his arms. "Hmm…there are a ton of piñatas in this garden…I'm sure Dad won't notice if any of the lower level ones go missing…" He smirked down at Magnar. "I'll gladly risk Dad getting mad at me…I just want you to be okay! From now on, you're my top priority!"

Magnar let out a happy little bark and smiled gratefully at Stardos.

"I'm so happy I made you healthy again…" Stardos said, hugging Magnar. He whispered into Magnar's fur; "Heh, maybe I should be a doctor one day!"


End file.
